ANCSA

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into
law by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971. It remains the
largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was
intended to resolve long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land
claims in Alaska, as well as to stimulate economic development
throughout Alaska.

The settlement established Alaska Native claims to the land by
transferring title to almost 44 million acres of land within Alaska
to over 200 local and regional corporations. ANCSA remains a work in
process as Congress has made numerous modifications to ANCSA within
the years after 1971. ANCSA is codified at 43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.